Henri Matisse
French, 1869­1954
Woman before an Aquarium
1921­23
Oil on canvas
80.7 x 100 cm
Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection, 1926.220
© 1995 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 

Matisse painted this portrait of his daughter Marguerite about the time of her wedding. She seems lost in thought as she gazes at the fish. In Asia, the goldfish is a symbol of happiness, and evergreen branches with their cones suggest long life. The artist may have included these objects as good wishes for her marriage.

Matisse, who was French, admired the art of faraway places. The blue pattern on the screen behind his daughter’s head is similar to that found on screens and window grilles in Morocco.